Interlocking rail connection and crossing.



Patented Mar. Ii, 1902.

H. B. NICHOLS. I RAIL CONNEGTIUN AND CROSSING. uwzion filed Nov. 9, 1901.

INTERLDCKING (No Modem UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HENRY B. NICHOLS, OF-PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA..

INTERLOCKING RAIL CONNECTION AND CROSSING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 694,982, dated March 11, 1902.

Application filed November 9, 1901. serial No. 81,675. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom it may concernhy Be it known that I, HENRY B. NICHOLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interlocking Rail Connections and Crossings, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the construction of a connection or crossing between the intersectin g rails of two railroad-tracks of the type forming the subject-matter of Letters Patent granted to me under date of May 14, 1901, No. 674,175, and is an improvement upon the same.

In connections or crossings of the type to which my invention in the main is applicable one portion of the crossing or connection is preferably formed of a main-rail section having its face or head grooved 0r channeled not only for the passage of the flanges of carwheels traversing it, but also grooved or channeled at an angle to the first groove or channel to permit the flanges of other car-wheels to travel diagonally or at right angles over it. In cojunction with the main rails other crossing or meeting rails are employed, and the manner of connecting or interlocking the crossing or meeting rails with the main rails constitutes my present invention.

My invention, stated in general terms, consists of an interlocking rail connection or crossing constructed and arranged in substantially the manner hereinafter described and claimed. ,7

, The nature and scope of my present invention will be more fully understood fromthe following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which-- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the meeting end of one form of a crossing rail disconnected from the main rail. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of-a main rail. Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line mm, Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is atop or plan view of a railway connection or crossing embodying main features of my invention, and Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a modified form of the meeting end of f crossing rail disconnected from the main rai Referring to the drawings, a represents the main rail, which, as illustrated, maybe either a steam-railroad or street-railway rail, and b I) represent two crossing rails in line with each other. In the rail or is formed a longi-' tudinal groove a, and in the rails 19 b is formed a longitudinal groove a the latter groove being continued through and across the-upper surface of the main rail a. These grooves allow the flanges of car-wheels to traverse freely along the main rail or along thecrossing rails. Various other forms of rails than those shown may, however, be used without departing from my invention.

The end of each connecting-rail b is provided with a dovetailing projection or outwardly-beveled rib bf, which, as in Fig. 1, extends in both directions laterally beyond the longitudinal planes or sides of the crossing rail 5, or, as in Fig. 5, does not extend'beyond the longitudinal sides or planes of said rail. If desired, the dovetailing projection orrib b may extend beyond one side only of the rail 5. The dovetailin g or outwardly-beveled rib o is adapted to enter into a correspondingly-shaped recess or channel a in the main rail 0,, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 4:, and to permit of the pouring of a molten mass of metal, preferably of a lower melting-point than the metal of the connecting-rail and main rail, to form a metallic key, bed, or filler 0 between them, thus firmly dovetailing orinterlocking the rails a and I) together without the employment of bolts or other fastening devices.

' It is evident that other shapes of the interlocking projection, rib, or arm I) and of the interlocking recess a may be used, and I therefore do not confine myself to the specific forms shown; It is also obvious that the main rail may have the interlocking projection formed directly upon it and that the connecting-rail may be provided with the interlocking recess without departing from the scope of my present invention.

WVhenever it is desired to separate the rails thus united, it can be readily accomplished by simply melting out the more fusible metallic bed, filler, or key 0.

Having thus described the nature and object of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an interlocking rail connection or crossing, a main rail having in its side a recess or channel, a connecting-rail, and a dovetailing or interlocking projection formed directly on the meeting end of the connectingrail to form a continuation of said rail, said projection being adapted to enter and to interlock with the recess or channel of the main rail.

2. In an interlocking rail connection or crossing, a main rail having in its side a re cess or channel, a connecting-rail, and a dovetailing or interlocking projection formed directly on the meeting end of the connecting rail to form a continuation of said rail, said projection being adapted to enter and to interlock with the recess or channel of the main rail, in combination with a filler or bed fusible at a lower temperature than the metal of HENRY B. NICHOLS.

WVitnesses:

J. WALTER DOUGLASS, THOMAS M. SMITH. 

